http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress provides the latest news from Universitaet Mainz (Medical Xpress)—From the several pandemics generally called 'pestilences' three are historically recognized as due to plague, but only for the third pandemic of the 19th-21st centuries AD there were microbiological evidences that the causing agent was the bacterium Yersinia pestis. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-scientists-justinianic-plague-bacterium-yersinia.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Fri, 10 May 2013 07:00:01 EST news287387106 Media reports about substances that are supposedly hazardous to health may cause suggestible people to develop symptoms of a disease even though there is no objective reason for doing so. This is the conclusion of a study of the phenomenon known as electromagnetic hypersensitivity. Those affected report experiencing certain symptoms on exposure to electromagnetic waves, such as those emitted by cell phones, and these take the form of physical reactions. With the help of magnetic resonance imaging, it has been demonstrated that the regions of the brain responsible for pain processing are active in such cases. "Despite this, there is a considerable body of evidence that electromagnetic hypersensitivity might actually be the result of a so-called nocebo effect," explained Dr. Michael Witthöft of Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU). "The mere anticipation of possible injury may actually trigger pain or disorders. This is the opposite of the analgesic effects we know can be associated with exposure to placebos." The new study illustrates how media reports about health risks may trigger or amplify nocebo effects in some people. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-nocebo-effect-media-trigger-symptoms.html Psychology & Psychiatry Mon, 06 May 2013 10:33:56 EST news287055193 Over the past 30 years, magnetic resonance imaging has evolved into one of the most important imaging procedures in medical diagnostics. With a new approach based on the use of polarized gases and dissolved substances, it will in future be possible to produce even better quality images of the inside of the human body. The German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) will be providing EUR 1.3 million over the next three years to enable researchers at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) and the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research to make the new procedure ready for the market. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-mri-technology-images-human-body.html Medical research Fri, 07 Dec 2012 12:50:01 EST news274105937 After years of basic research, scientists at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) are increasingly able to understand the mechanisms underlying the human Usher syndrome and are coming ever closer to finding a successful treatment approach. The scientists in the Usher research group of Professor Dr. Uwe Wolfrum are evaluating two different strategies. These involve either the repair of mutated genes or the deactivation of the genetic defects using agents. Based on results obtained to date, both options seem promising. Usher syndrome is a congenital disorder that causes the loss of both hearing and vision. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-biologists-read-through-mutations-responsible-usher.html Genetics Tue, 04 Dec 2012 10:44:48 EST news273840275 Scientists at the Mainz University Medical Center have discovered another molecule that plays an important role in regulating myelin formation in the central nervous system. Myelin promotes the conduction of nerve cell impulses by forming a sheath around their projections, the so-called axons, at specific locations – acting like the plastic insulation around a power cord. The research team, led by Dr. Robin White of the Institute of Physiology and Pathophysiology at the University Medical Center of Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, recently published their findings in the prestigious journal EMBO Reports. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-scientists-inhibitor-myelin-formation-central.html Medical research Tue, 20 Nov 2012 10:33:09 EST news272629983 Biogenic amines may be one of the factors responsible for symptoms such as headaches, gastro-intestinal disorders, shortness of breath, fall in blood pressure, and even unconsciousness and cardiac arrhythmia in severe cases. Histamine, one of the best known members of this group, can cause serious physical problems. Biogenic amines can be produced in the body by natural metabolic activities but are also ingested in larger quantities with food. They play a special role in microbiologically produced food such as wine, beer, cheese, and sauerkraut. In a joint project Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) and the Dienstleistungszentrum Ländlicher Raum Rheinpfalz (DLR) have developed measures to identify and reduce biogenic amines in wine, where they can be of particular risk to human well-being. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-wine-indispositions.html Health Wed, 07 Nov 2012 11:05:25 EST news271508713 Scientists working with Professor Dr. Dr. Perikles Simon, head of the Sports Medicine division of Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) in Germany, suggest in the light of recent analyses that German children gain weight soon after entering elementary school. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-german-children-gain-weight.html Overweight and Obesity Tue, 14 Aug 2012 15:02:27 EST news264175311 Scientists at the University Medical Center of Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz in Germany identified a novel strategy to target the oncologically relevant protein-cleaving enzyme Taspase1. Taspase1 levels are not only elevated in cancer cells of patients with head and neck tumors and other solid malignancies but the enzyme is also critical for the development of leukemias. Central to this concept is the approach to inhibit the enzyme's activity by 'gluing together' individual Taspase1 molecules. The results of a study undertaken by Professor Dr. Roland Stauber of the ENT Department at the Mainz University Medical Center were recently published in The FASEB Journal. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-07-scientists-gain-insights-taspase1-function.html Cancer Tue, 10 Jul 2012 11:02:30 EST news261136872